Grantham strongman and endurance swimmer Ross Edgley’s attempt at the world’s longest swim in Italy is cut short due to heat stroke and kidney concerns

Ross Edgley’s attempt to complete the world’s longest swim was cut short due to heat stroke and concerns of kidney damage.

The Grantham strongman and endurance swimmer was aiming to break the record for the longest continuous swim by swimming 171km in Lake Trasimeno, in the Umbria region of Italy.

However, Ross, 37, announced yesterday (Saturday) that his attempt had been cut short after around 70km.

This was due to heat stroke and concerns over dehydration and kidney damage.

On his Facebook page, Ross explained that the conditions of his latest swim were “brutal” due to a heat wave that has hit recently hit Italy.

Ross thanked everyone for their messages of support over the challenge.

He said: "Lake Trasimeno you were amazing, but unfortunately with this 'Cerberus' heat wave expected to hit Italy this week it meant temperatures threatened to reach a record 48°C in places (water temperature at 33°C in parts) which meant the swim had to be attempted under pretty brutal conditions!

“That said, we tried and the team were amazing but the adventure was cut short around 70km due to heat stroke and concerns of dehydration and kidney damage!

“Going to rest up and eat pizza.”

The challenge began on Thursday, and Ross described it as “a war of attrition with pure heroics from every member of the team”.

In 2018, Ross became the first person to swim 1,780 miles around Great Britain without touching land.

He swam for over 52 hours straight last year in Loch Ness, covering 49 miles but he could not reach his original aim of swimming 100 miles because of health concerns.

He had lost 14kg since that swim in September, which was highlighted in a documentary made by PhD Nutrition and Gymshark.